전국 고등학교 기초교과목군 (국어, 영어, 수학) 선택 이수율 분석에 기초한 교육적 논의

Comparing Selection of English to Korean and Mathematics: A Pedagogical Discussion on the Analysis of Students’ Subject Selection Ratios in High Schools across Korea.

This study aims to compare the position of English education in Korean high schools to the other core subjects: Korean and mathematics. Since the College Scholastic Achievement Test (CSAT) reportedly influences students’ subject selection, this study investigates the correlation between them by analyzing selection ratios among these three core subjects. Data is collected from the three types of high schools in all 17 educational districts across the nation－general high schools, special purpose high schools, and vocational high schools. A two-sample proportions test is used to ascertain the differences in subject selection ratios, and a K-means clustering analysis is implemented to categorize regional characteristics according to the differences in subject selection ratios. The findings reveal the following: first, regardless of the school type, English education has weakened due to the current system of evaluating English in the CSAT compared to Korean and mathematics. Second, selection tendencies differ according to the school type. Third, according to the three subject areas, the 17 educational districts can be categorized into 4 or 5 clusters. These results imply that the weakening of English education in high schools can aggravate the problematic “English Divide.” Therefore, the uneven playing field that the present CSAT system creates must be revised quickly.